The Tonight Show Starring Jimmy Fallon – Episode Summary

Date: December 16, 2025
Episode Highlights: News commentary, celebrity interviews, comedy sketches and stand-up

Episode Overview

Tonight’s show strikes a familiar balance between Jimmy Fallon’s signature playful late-night monologue, heartfelt tributes, and energetic interviews with celebrity guests including Simu Liu (“The Copenhagen Test”), Jake Connolly (Stranger Things 5), Alysa Liu (Olympic figure skater), and comedian Greg Warren. The discussions move from political headlines and pop culture to personal stories and sincere moments of reflection.

Monologue & Topical Comedy

• Trump's Bizarre Christmas Speech & Marijuana News
  • [01:12] Jimmy tackles political headlines, poking fun at former President Trump’s unpredictable Christmas speech, referencing mentions of “snakes, sharks, and an Ivanka lookalike.”
  • On Trump weighing an executive order to reclassify marijuana:

    “His staff told him that weed makes people eat too much, take naps, and watch TV for hours. Trump was like, ‘Oh, so it has no effect.’” (Jimmy Fallon, 01:37)

• Holiday Tipping Advice Segment
  • [02:08] A recurring bit with mock advice on who to tip over the holidays.

  • “Don’t tip your daycare provider if they just hand your toddler an iPad playing Coco Melon, then head outside to vape.” (Jimmy Fallon, 02:21)

• AI Commercials & Tech Gaffes
  • [03:47] On McDonald's pulling an AI commercial:

    “McDonald’s said that going forward, the only artificial thing they’ll make is the food.”

Tribute: Remembering Rob Reiner

[04:14]

• Jimmy offers a heartfelt remembrance for Rob Reiner and his wife, Michelle:

  “What he’s given to the world through his art—from All in the Family to Stand By Me, The Princess Bride… Everyone felt like they had a personal connection to Rob Reiner and his work… I hugged him, and then we didn’t let go... He’s one of the smartest and funniest people I’ve ever met. What a tremendous loss.” (Jimmy Fallon, 04:14–05:44)

Simu Liu Interview

[05:57]

Engagement Story and Taylor Swift Surprise

• Simu describes the stress of planning his engagement:

  “It was the biggest undertaking I had ever done, and I had to do it all alone, pretty much…” (Simu Liu, 06:37) “She’s a control enthusiast.” (Simu Liu, 07:41)

• The Paris proposal and surprise with friends and family (plus a Taylor Swift cameo video):

  “She loves Taylor Swift… I reached out to Taylor through her publicist and… she literally, two days later, sent [a video] over and I was able to play it for her… Taylor Swift was the cherry on top.” (Simu Liu, 08:42–09:38)

Avengers Backstage Stories

• Meeting Robert Downey Jr. for the first time (while underdressed in shorts and flip-flops):

  “I was the only one… who had to work that day… Downey wants everyone to come in and say hi… He's like, ‘Oh, that’s a choice [for an outfit].’” (Simu Liu, 10:43–11:13)

• On joining the Avengers:

  “I still remember watching Endgame… I had no idea that like, less than three months later, I would be a part of it… it’s every dream come true.” (Simu Liu, 11:36–12:10)

The Copenhagen Test (New Series)

• [12:18] Simu explains the premise:

  “It’s this psychological experiment… to judge whether an individual is predisposed to follow orders blindly or… their own moral compass… especially in the world of spies and top secret information.” (Simu Liu, 12:36)

Jake Connolly Interview

[13:55]

• On joining Stranger Things 5 as “Derek”:

  “When [the audition] came in, I could not believe it. It was the thing of dreams for me.” (Jake Connolly, 14:46)

• School life post-fame:

  “People coming up to me asking for selfies and autographs… or yelling to my fat one in the hallways.” (Jake Connolly, 15:17–15:31)

• Keeping the role secret:

  “I had to keep the secret in for a year and a half. I actually had to tell everyone I was on a mayonnaise documentary.” (Jake Connolly, 15:46)

• Fan favorite moment – Cartman impression:

  “I even started trying out a couple of my lines in a Cartman voice. Do you want to hear one?... Jimmy, you can a fat one.” (Jake Connolly, 17:16)

• Prop from the set:
  • Brings his “GI Joe lunchbox” with a red light from the show.
  • Anecdote about crashing a Stranger Things tour in Jackson, Georgia:

    “They said, here we have the spot where we found a boy in a striped sweater carrying a lunchbox. And little did they know, I was right in the back of that tour.” (Jake Connolly, 18:31)

• On being tackled by Noah Schnapp and joking about free steak:

  “I'm actually a tackle football player… a couple bloody knees don’t really deter me… Noah came up and said, Jake, I’m so sorry I hit you too hard. Can I buy you a steak? …I mean, I would not mind a free steak.” (Jake Connolly, 19:27–19:53)

• Prepares a secret envelope question for Jamie Campbell Bower (Vecna) to be asked on a future episode.

Alysa Liu Interview

[22:13]

• Recaps her history as the youngest US Women’s figure skating champion and discusses her early retirement and subsequent comeback in pursuit of the 2026 Winter Olympics:

  “I have a lot of creative control this time around—I get to pick out what I want my dress to look like, what color… pick my music… I draw myself.” (Alysa Liu, 23:29)

• Music choices for programs:

  “I love Lady Gaga right now… I’m probably gonna skate to Levi at the Olympics.” (Alysa Liu, 24:19)

• On returning to elite competition and landing the triple axel:

  “I worked on it for two days this past two weeks… Just started doing them clean in practice last week.” (Alysa Liu, 25:08)

Stand-Up: Greg Warren

[25:55]

A high-energy debut set lampooning insurance companies, Midwest culture, and high school fishing teams.

• On insurance “cards”:

  "They’re always like, we're gonna send you an insurance card. Stop calling it a card! It's a piece of paper. For $3,500, at least laminate the card!" (Greg Warren, 26:16)

• On being grouped with unhealthy insurance “groups”:

  “I want to meet the group… Me, some guy eating a mashed potato sandwich, that monkey that smokes cigarettes in the North Korean zoo, and a corpse. That's my group.” (Greg Warren, 28:07)

• Jokes about high school fishing coaches and fake “fishing cheerleaders”:

  “Catfish, crappie, smallmouth bass. Your outboard motor's out of gas. Bang, bang, choo, choo train. Come on, anglers, do that thang!” (Greg Warren, 31:21)

Notable Quotes & Memorable Moments

• On Trump’s Christmas speech:

  “In a weird way, Trump’s Christmas speech worked because he left the entire room thinking, sweet baby Jesus.” (Jimmy Fallon, 01:12)

• On surprise proposals:

  “She’s not a control freak… she’s a control enthusiast.” (Simu Liu, 07:41)

• On keeping secrets as a young actor:

  “I actually had to tell everyone I was on a mayonnaise documentary.” (Jake Connolly, 15:46)

• On creative autonomy in skating:

  “I have a lot of creative control this time around.. I draw myself.” (Alysa Liu, 23:29)

• On high school fishing teams:

  “We play other schools in fishing, which means there’s a fishing coach… Fish on three!” (Greg Warren, 29:23–30:37)

Notable Timestamps

• Monologue/Trump Segment: 01:12 – 03:59
• Rob Reiner Tribute: 04:14 – 05:44
• Simu Liu Interview: 05:57 – 13:09
• Jake Connolly Interview: 13:55 – 21:36
• Alysa Liu Interview: 22:13 – 25:25
• Greg Warren Stand-Up: 25:55 – 32:02

Overall Tone

As always, Jimmy Fallon’s Tonight Show episode features a lively blend of humor and heart. The tone is playful and affectionate; the conversations—especially around personal milestones and memories—bring warmth to the usual late-night levity.

For Next-Time Watchers

Skip the intros, outros, and ad reads—this episode delivers its best with sharp topical comedy, sweet guest stories (especially Simu Liu’s engagement saga), and an energetic injection of stand-up from Greg Warren. The episode is an exemplar of the late-night blend: light-hearted news takes, pop-culture exclusives, and authentic exchanges with today’s headline-makers and rising stars.